Can-opener.



' 1 W. 1)." PRIEST.

I CAN OPENER. APPLIOATION- FILED OUT. 17, 1910.

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Patented Jan.-1 7,1 911.

WILLIAM D. PRIEST, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

CAN-OPENER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 1'7, 1911.

Application filed October 17, 1910. Serial No. 587,472.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM D. PRIEST, citizen of the United States,residing at San Francisco, in the county of San Francisco and State ofCalifornia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Can-Openers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in can openers, and has for oneof its objects to provide a simply constructed device of this characterwhich may be adjusted without removing any of the parts to cut openingsof different sizes in cans.

With this and other objects in view, the invention consists of certainnovel features of construction as hereinafter shown and described andthen specifically pointed out in the claims; and, in the drawingillustrative of the preferred embodiment of the invention, Figure 1 is aside elevation of the improved device. Fig. 2 is a section on the line22 of Fig. 1.

The improved implement is constructed from a single piece of wire bentinto the required shape and pointed as shown at 10 at one end and with acutting blade 11 at the opposite end. The body of wire is bentrelatively close to the point 10 to form a shoulder 12 and then bent toform a plurality of spaced recesses 13 adjacent to the shoulder 12.Beyond the recesses 13 the body of wire is bent into a relativelyelongated handle 14, the handle being formed by bending the materialinto parallel relations and then again bending the material in closerelations in the form of a loop 15. The wire is then bent into arelatively large loop 16 and flattened as shown at 17 to decrease theresistance, as hereafter explained. Near the cutting terminal 11 thewire is bent into a loop 18 which is adapted to engage in the recesses13 one at a time, as

shown, and thus change the relative positions of the point 10 and thecutting blade 11 to increase or decrease the size of the cut which is tobe made. The wire from which the improved device is constructed ispreferably of steel, and will be suitably tempered after being bent intoshape. It will thus be obvious that a simply constructed implement isproduced, by means of which openings may be formed in cans varying insize within the range of the recesses 13. For instance, if a relatively,small opening is required the loop 17 is pressed to release the loop 18and transfer it to the outermost recess 13. Thus an opening in the canof any required size within the range of the recesses 13 may be cut, aswill be obvious. A stop shoulder 19 limits the depth of the cut.

The improved implement is simple in construction, can be inexpensivelymanufactured and of any required size and any required strength.

Having thus described my invention, what is claimed as new is:

A can opener formed from a single piece of metal and comprising a shankand a handle, said shank having a can penetrating point at one end and aplurality of spaced recesses intermediate the ends an extension fromsaid handle terminating in a can cutting blade and with a loop forengaging in the shank recesses one at a time, said extension having aresilient portion operating to maintain the loop yieldably in engagementwith one of the recesses.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM D. PRIEST. [Ls] Witnesses:

N. W. COLLINS, O. W. YEARGAIN.

